“Fear food” is the terminology used in eating disorder treatment to identify the foods that are avoided in meals or snacks due to fear. Fear foods can range from specific foods, i.e “butter,” to whole food groups, i.e ”fats.” The reason a food becomes a fear food is individualistically unique and can develop for many reasons. While fear foods often add to restrictive behavior, they can add to many other eating disorder behaviors, like excessive working out, bingeing, or purging. The ideation of fear foods spans across all forms of eating disorders.

By: Erin Duffy

A commonality found among individuals with eating disorders or disordered eating is the control of foods consumed by avoidance, bingeing, or purging. Because of this, an integral part of eating disorder treatment and recovery is recognizing fear foods and learning to overcome them. This is no easy feat as fear foods, sometimes known as challenge foods, are foods that can trigger emotional responses and can lead to social, psychological, and physiological consequences if not rectified.

Generally, fear foods are foods that have been deemed “bad.” These foods are typically associated with the perception of causing weight gain or loss of control, which may then result in overeating. When confronted with these foods, many experience negative feelings and refrain from including the foods in their primary diet. Excluding foods from the primary diet can contribute to the use of food rules/ritualistic behavior, allows for restriction, and can cause rigidity around meals and snacks.

Typically, fear foods are foods that are perceived to be high in calories, fat, or sugar but can be any food. To establish what foods are fear foods, an exercise that can be used is a fear food pyramid. To do this exercise, draw a triangle on a piece of paper. Section the triangle into three sections by drawing two lines through the triangle horizontally. In the bottom section, list the foods identified as “safe” foods or the foods that are most comfortable to eat at all times. In the middle section, list the foods that are included in meals or grocery hauls sometimes, but are difficult to include all of the time. In the top section, list the foods that are rarely or never included in meals or grocery hauls.

Other ways to identify the development of fear foods:[1]

Increase in anxiety or distress when around a particular food
Experiencing intrusive thoughts during meals containing the food
Lack of variety in the diet; eating the same foods over and over again
Obsessive thoughts about food and meals
Increased seclusion when eating
Increased use of eating disorder behaviors (i.e restriction, purging, bingeing, increased working out)

Treatment for fear foods is multifaceted. The fear food pyramid and the above signs are used to help identify which foods are challenging and to help develop an “exposure” pathway to slowly reintroduce fear foods into the diet. At BALANCE, fear foods therapy can come in the form of support from a multidisciplinary clinical team, space to explore and challenge core beliefs about certain foods, access to meal support groups, and food exposure sessions through the use of exposure and response prevention (ERP). Another treatment approach is the use of exposure and response prevention for anorexia nervosa (AN-EXRP) to help reduce eating-related anxiety.[2] The goal of this therapeutic modality is to reduce anxiety around certain foods through small repeated approaches. Over time, the repeated increments of food exposure reduce the stigmas around the food while simultaneously ingraining coping mechanisms and reframes so that one can learn to thrive in a fearful situation.

At BALANCE eating disorder treatment center, our compassionate, highly skilled team of clinicians is trained in diagnosing and treating the spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and other disordered eating behaviors and body image issues. We offer a variety of programs and services targeted at helping clients overcome fear foods and develop a healthy relationship with food. We offer nutrition counseling with a licensed dietitian, meal support, a Food & Mood Group, and a variety of other groups and resources to help those seeking help for food concerns.

Our admissions team would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our programs and services. Book a free consultation call with our admissions team below or read more about our philosophy here.

This post was written by BALANCE Dietetic Intern, Erin Duffy.

Erin has been a nutrition student throughout her academic career at Hunter College, first with an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Food Science followed by a graduate degree in Nutritional Science and now as a dietetic intern. Erin was first interested in working with individuals with eating disorders after a familial experience. Through this impactful experience, Erin learned a different side of nutrition that was more in alignment with her beliefs. Since interning at BALANCE, Erin is a strong advocate of intuitive eating, the Health at Every Size movement and the All Foods Fit approach. She hopes to work as an anti-diet registered dietitian that helps dismantle destructive diet culture norms and creates space for people to heal wholly.

Resources

1. “Afraid to Eat Certain Food? ‘Fear Food’ Treatment for Teenagers, Children & Young People.” Ellern Mede, https://ellernmede.org/eating-disorders-information/fear-food-treatment/. Accessed 29 Jan. 2021.

2. Glasofer, Deborah R., et al. “Overcoming Fear of Eating: A Case Study of a Novel Use of Exposure and Response Prevention.” Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill.), vol. 53, no. 2, June 2016, pp. 223–31. PubMed Central, doi:10.1037/pst0000048.

Eating Disorder Terminology 101: What Are Fear Foods?

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